Job Openings Rose in December

(MarketWatch) - The number of job openings in the US rose to 3.38 million in December from 3.12 million in November, the Labor Department said Tuesday.

Although the number of job openings remained below the 4.4 million openings when the recession began in December 2007, the number of vacancies has increased 39 percent since the end of the recession in June 2009, the government said.

Gains were led by professional and business services, while the biggest drop came from education and health services.

The number of hires fell to 4.05 million from 4.13 million, while separations fell to 3.91 million from 3.99 million.

The government reported Friday that the US labor market grew at its fastest pace in January since last spring, as the jobless rate fell by two-tenths of a point to 8.3 percent, the lowest level since February 2009.

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